sigh, i also agree with most of you on this. it's a real shame that PD has to make it this difficult for some of us more casual gamers to be able to access this track. Really hope there can be an update or patch that changes this or at least makes it a bit easier to unlock. Some of the challenges are almost impossible.
TL;DR - Unrealistic expectations will hurt the game, and in the end detract from the overall experience of what Gran Turismo has always been - the love of driving.
I rather agree with this. I am a pretty decent player of racing games, but the progression of GT5 has me bummed. The leveling thing itself smacks too much of Forza for me, and the inability to unlock every track unless you get Gold is a real let down. I know that, if I push hard enough, I can get it - but honestly my desire wanes knowing I -have- to do it so that a track will get unlocked, be it Nüburg or the Top Gear Test Track.
Look, Gran Turismo is supposed to be about the thrill of driving - the feel of tire-on-pavement, feeling every nook and cranny and listening to the sweet sound of your engine as you power it through a turn that physics likes to argue is impossible. For the most part, this game delivers. I often find myself grinning like a fool even in the most pedestrian of cars. I don't like, however, being forced into achieving a Gold trophy just so I play a track - especially in modes like Practice or Arcade. Feel free to award those who get Gold with a special car, paint colour, title or trophy, but don't lock the rest of us out of an experience that many have been waiting for for years. I have, and will always be a fan of Gran Turismo, but I certainly hope they change their approach. I am unsure of whether or not it can be patched it, but if it can, I would certainly welcome it.
P.S. - I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I want to make sure I am understood correctly. I am all for difficulty; my struggle with winning "Like the Wind" with my ZR1 was a great experience, and I feel better for having won it. At the same time though, I don't want GT5 to fall into the pattern of so many games these days - the "Rush-to-the-end-with-ridiculous-trials-along-the-way" model. I've come close to 100% on every GT game in the series, and it has always been a fun journey. Now, though, I feel like the pacing is different, and so is the difficulty. The emphasis seems to be more on Gold trophies than the joy of driving automobiles, which is a damn shame. Let's be honest - there is no way 75% of the player base will ever unlock some of these tracks; casual players or those new to the genre are going to find themselves in the deep end with no instructions on how to stay afloat. While, in theory, this can work - the funnest things are given to the most "deserving" (based on Gold trophies) - in practice, it falls on its face. Many people will be getting the game for tracks like the Top Gear Test Track and the full Nürburgring experience, and will find themselves on the outside looking in. Not only does this hurt the game in terms of exposure (unhappy players breed unhappy press), it hurts future iterations of the game (less people playing it (and probably playing Forza)), as well as the genre as a whole.
[/soapbox]
i got all silver though
